Holders for pens, pencils, elongated tools, etc. are well known to be available in a very large number of different styles, forms, sizes, materials, etc. While some are structurally rather complicated and relatively expensive to fabricate, others are structurally simple, inexpensive to fabricate and generally cheap in quality and appearance. While the least expensive may provide only a single opening to a single chamber to receive the pens, pencils, etc, and consist of nothing more that a cup-shaped receptacle, others, slightly more complicated, may provide a grid opening across the top of a single chamber to thereby effect individual openings through which the pens, pencils, etc. are insertable. Still others, typically more complex and costly, are provided with individual compartments so that each pen, pencil, tool, etc. will have its own confined holding area, which makes it easier to select a particular pen, pencil, tool or the like from the plurality that may be contained in the holder. This is particularly ideal for holding rather delicate or sharpened tools such a dental/medical instruments, so that inserting and removing a tool to and from the holder does not cause the tools to be abraded against one another.